A New Beginning
by Mirainbow
Summary: It's the school year after the Battle of Hogwarts. Voldemort is dead, and everything has been restored to order. Miranda Manning is a new first-year, and there's a new, unknown threat in the wizarding world.
1. New Beginning

Miranda walked up to the woman behind the desk.

"Your flight has been canceled," the woman said.

"What?" asked Miranda. "Why?"

"Too many ostriches," she said, a slight purple tint developing in her skin.

"Did you just say ostriches?"

"You're running out of milk."

"How do you even know that?!"

Miranda's eyes opened. It was just a dream. She sighed. As she grew older, her dreams were becoming less enjoyable, and more nonsensical. She _was_ growing older, being over ten, and had over a decade's worth of wisdom and knowledge. But even so, her dad still treated her as if she was half her age. He refused to tell her exactly _why_ her mother was in prison, and he wouldn't teach her how to perform any magic (he couldn't do magic himself, so this was understandable, but Miranda still found herself annoyed).

Miranda wasn't tall for her age, but wasn't short either. She had hazel-brown hair that went down past her shoulders, which her kitten often had fun clawing at. Her hair had a slight wave to it, and she had blue eyes that her father told her looked like galaxies.

The two of them lived on Crystal Lake Street in a small town in London. Their house wasn't big by any means, but it was a comfortable home for them and their kitten, Crookshanks, who had been named after the cat of the famous Hermione Granger. Miranda had only heard of Hermione and her friends Ron Weasley and Harry Potter (often nicknamed "The Golden Trio") a month before, when together they took down the infamous Lord Voldemort.

Miranda's dad didn't know much about the wizarding world, but he know heard about Voldemort (whose actual name was Tom Marvolo Riddle). He bought for Miranda the edition of the _Daily Prophet_ that arrived the day after Voldemort's defeat, which was full of articles, question & answers, and overall excitement about the events (there was also an advertisement for quick-quotes quills, which explains how it all was written so fast). In the newspaper, it announced that just a week from then, there would be interviews in the _Prophet_ of Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Hermione, Ron Weasley, George Weasley, and Harry Potter. The edition with the interviews sold more copies than any other print of that newspaper, Miranda's dad told her _._

It explained how Voldemort returned after he failed to kill Harry the first time, and the lengthy process it took to defeat him. Harry explained to the _Prophet,_ and in turn the whole wizarding world, how they destroyed Voldemort's Horcruxes, how Harry managed to come back to life after Voldemort again attempted to kill him (plus how Harry himself ended up being a Horcrux), and Hermione announced that she would be returning to Hogwarts, a secondary school for people with magic, in the upcoming year so she could finish her 7th term there and graduate. There were pages and pages full of never-before-seen-or-heard news, which took Miranda multiple days to read fully.

Miranda's dad had gotten her Crookshanks soon after Voldemort's defeat as a little celebration gift, for which she was grateful.

Reading the two prints of the wizards' newspaper was the first time in her life she really learned about anything magic-related, because her dad didn't know anything and so he couldn't tell her anything about it. Before, all she knew was that she was a witch, and so was her mom (her dad told her), but now she knew little pieces of fun information, like how Horcruxes worked and that pictures in the wizarding world actually moved.

She was also extremely excited, because her dad told her that she would most likely be attending the same school that the trio had, Hogwarts, and she would be able to meet Professor Minerva McGonagall, Rubeus Hagrid, and maybe even Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, and Hermione Granger if she was really lucky. She was mostly just hoping that the school would be rebuilt in time for her first year there because according to the newspaper, it was mostly destroyed.

She stepped out of her small bedroom and walked down the wooden steps toward the kitchen, where her dad was cooking scrambled eggs. Her sister Abigail would be coming all the way from the United States where she was attending a school called Virginia Commonwealth University to spend a week and a half with Miranda and her dad. Miranda was coming with him to the airport to pick her up, which meant she had to be ready to leave before sunrise due to the plane landing being early in the day. Unlike Miranda, Abigail possessed no magical abilities.

On the walls of the kitchen hung varied pictures; one of Miranda's dad hugging her on her first day of first grade, one of her and her sister in front of a merry-go-round, and one of her Uncle Steven, who had passed away a few years after the photo was taken. Unlike those in the _Daily Prophet,_ these photos were static and didn't move.

"Morning," said her dad.

"I'm good," replied Miranda, who was still half-asleep. Her dad laughed and slid the eggs off of the pan and onto a plate on the countertop next to the stove, where Miranda was sitting. Crookshanks was lying on the barstool next to her, and Miranda couldn't help but reach out to pet his soft, grey fur.

"Want some orange juice?" Her dad asked, already pouring a glass for her.

"I-" There was a sudden noise that sounded like a shriek of pain, similar to what you would expect a family of rats in a blender to sound like. Her dad put down the orange juice and bolted out the back door. Miranda was right behind him.

In the backyard, on the ground below the kitchen window, was a pearl white owl, on its side and holding an envelope in its beak. When it noticed them standing over it, the owl jumped to its feet and looked as if it was trying to appear elegant. It stepped over to Miranda and held its head high. Miranda slowly bent down, and the owl released the envelope into her hands. It then flapped its feathery wings a few times and took off, flying away.

Miranda looked at the letter, which had her full name on it, Miranda Ledra Manning, and her town name, in green ink.

"What- how-" she said. "That owl just gave me a letter!"

"Owls," her dad said, "are how witches and wizards communicate. They send messages back and forth, and they're really good at it."

"But how did it know where to find me? The letter doesn't have an address!"

"Owls don't need addresses," he replied simply. "Let's read that on the way to the airport, I think I know what that is."

Once Miranda had finished her breakfast, brushed her teeth, and put her shoes on, they were ready to go. Miranda hopped into the backseat and immediately started opening the envelope. Inside was a letter. On the back of the folded piece of paper was a silver _H_ sticker. Miranda unfolded the letter and read it out loud:

Dear Ms, Manning,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.  
Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall  
Headmistress

Miranda looked at the second page, where there was the list of books she had to buy, what she needed for her uniform, and other things, such as a wand and cauldron. Her heartbeat quickened. Her dad wasn't lying, she really would be going to Hogwarts! Questions immediately sprang into her mind:

"Where's Hogwarts?"

"How do we get there?

"What's dragonhide?"

"Why do I need robes?"

"What's magical theory?"

"What's transfiguration?"

"What's a fantastic beast and why would I want to find one?"

"What's the Dark Forces?"

"Why do I need a cauldron and telescope?"

"I can bring a pet? Can I bring Crookshanks?"

"Why aren't we allowed broomsticks?"

"What's the Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions?

"Whoa there," said her dad, laughing. "I don't know much more than you do."

"Where do we get all these books and things, anyway?" Miranda asked. "Do we order it by owl?"

"You can," he said, "but generally first-years go to a place called Diagon Alley."

"Diagonally?"

"No, Diagon Alley. There's a space. You can buy everything that's on the list there. It's kind of like a big shopping center."

"Dad, how did you know about the owls and Diagon Alley if you aren't a wizard?"

"I have a friend who's one, but we don't talk anymore,"

She was about to set the envelope that held the letter aside when she noticed something else in it, a small piece of paper. She took it out and examined it.

It was a train ticket for Hogwarts. Platform 9 ¾, set to leave at 11:00 am on the first of September.

Wait, Platform 9 ¾? That couldn't be right. She voiced her concern with her dad, who looked at the ticket at the next stop light.

"There is no Platform nine and three-quarters," he said.

"Then how will I get there?" Miranda questioned, her heart beating faster still, her smile turning into a look of worry.

"I reckon we'll figure it out when the time comes."

That didn't exactly reassure her.

Not too long later, they arrived at the airport. They drove around the side of the building until they saw Abigail standing outside.

Being 21, she was taller than Miranda, but they still had various similarities. Her hair color was almost identical, just having a slightly darker tint to it. Her eyes were also brown instead of bright-blue. Their faces were similar enough to tell that they were sisters, but they weren't as similar as those of twins. Abigail had her suitcase at her side, and she wore jeans and a short-sleeved purple shirt that exposed the bottom of her belly. She smiled when she saw them.

"Hey!" she greeted them once they got out of the car. She hugged their dad, then Miranda, before loading her suitcase into the back of the car.

"What's that piece of paper," she asked once they were all in the car.

"Um, a letter. From uh… my friend."

"Friend…?" she asked quietly, before quickly closing her mouth and acting as though she didn't say anything at all.

She was right to be skeptical, Miranda wasn't exactly the most popular person. She's had friends in the past, but they always seemed to drift away. Others made fun of her in school for not being as smart as them, and nobody ever stood up for her, even herself. Silently, she agreed with them; she didn't get high marks on homework and tests. Not because she didn't try, but because her brain just couldn't contain information that didn't highly interest her. She didn't consider herself the most attractive person ever either. She was catcalled while walking home from school once by a guy who must've been in his twenties, but she didn't exactly consider that a compliment.

Miranda read the letter once more before putting it back into the envelope and stared out the window as her dad and Abigail talked about her school back in America.

After they got home and Abigail went into their guest room to unpack her things, Miranda asked her dad when they would be going to Diagon Alley.

"Well, it's July 21st today," he said, "How about tomorrow? I don't think Wednesdays would be too busy"

"Sounds great!" said Miranda.

For the rest of the day she sat in her room, thinking and reading the _Daily Prophet_ again. Getting her robes and books and everything was exciting and all, but what she was most anticipating was getting her wand. She'd finally be able to use magic herself! She wondered what kinds of spells the books would teach her, shooting fire? Making things fly?

She spent the remainder of the day pacing around her room impatiently, trying (and failing) to solve her Rubik's Cube.


	2. Diagon Alley

The days following Miranda's visit to Diagon Alley passed slowly. She spent most of her time with her dad and sister talking and playing cards, the rest being spent alone with her collection of stuffed animals in her room. Miranda had re-read her acceptance letter so many times – partly out of interest, partly out of boredom – that she had memorized it. The first of September couldn't come soon enough. Despite the time seeming to take an eternity, Miranda woke one morning to realize that it was August thirty-first, just one day until she went to Hogwarts! She went downstairs at an hour before noon, knowing full well that Abigail would likely still be in her room, asleep.

"Dad," she asked, "Are you sure there's nothing else about Hogwarts that you know and could tell me?"

"Getting a bit nervous, I reckon?" Her dad laughed. "Not to worry, everything will be fine, there isn't anything else I know, though, but I've heard great things about the school. Mr. Harry Potter went there, didn't he, and look at him, defeating the darkest wizard of all time."

"Yeah, alright."

"Now that I think of it," her dad said, "Now would be a good time to get your trunk packed. You have everything you need, right? That Hazel girl knew where everything was?"

"Yep, she was a big help, and I'm already packed."

That day was the slowest one yet. Miranda was convinced her dad somehow slowed down the clocks just to play with her, and by the time she went to bed she felt like the day had lasted a week. Thoughts rushed through her head as she tried to fall asleep, daydreaming (or was it nightdreaming?) about her first day at Hogwarts. What would the school be like? Would it be fun and enjoyable, or more like public school, tiring and boring? What kinds of magic would she learn? How many incantations would she have to memorize? Miranda thought she'd be laying in bed for hours, but before she knew it, her alarm clock was beeping next to her.

The morning, unlike the days before, was a bit of a rush. She seemed to get dressed and eat in an instant, and in a blink of an eye they were about to walk out the front door.

"Dad," she asked, "The letter said I could bring a pet. Would it be alright if Crookshanks came with me?"

He thought about it. "I don't see why not," he said finally. "And don't forget his litter box!" he called as she ran off to get the kitten.

Five minutes later and they were in the car. Crookshanks had decided to get some more sleep on Miranda's lap, and she was careful not to disturb him. She was tired, too, but was too excited to take a nap. She realized she'd never been excited to start school before, it was usually something she dreaded.

At last, they reached King's Cross Station. Miranda cradled Crookshanks in her arms and followed her dad, who was pushing the dolly with her trunk, into the building.

"What was the platform number again?" asked her dad as they walked. Miranda looked at the ticket. "Nine and three-quarters. The train leaves at eleven."

They made their pass the stations. Six, seven, eight, nine and… ten. Where was Platform nine and three quarters? She looked at her dad with tight lips. "Where do we go?"

"Stay here with the trunk, I'll go ask somebody. If anyone looks at you threateningly, bash it into their legs. "I hope you're joking," she mumbled.

Several people glanced at her strangely as they walked pass, but some gave little smiles when they saw Crookshanks in Miranda's arms. One little boy even walked up and wanted to pet him, but his mother pulled him away. A few more minutes passed, and her dad returned.

"Did you find out?" asked Miranda.

"Yep. You see that wall separating platforms nine and ten? We just have to walk straight into it."

Miranda laughed.

"No, really," said her dad.

"You can't be serious."

"I'm completely serious."

"Fine then, but you have to go first."

"Okay."

They walked up to the wall, which was multiple times wider than the dolly, but looked just like all the others.

"Come right after me, okay?" Miranda's dad asked. He took the dolly, lined it up so it was facing the wall, and walked like he was taking a leisurely stroll. Miranda thought he would stop right before the wall and tell her the actual way to the platform – through a side door or something – but no. He walked straight into, no, straight _through_ the wall, as if it wasn't even there, as if he, the dolly, and the trunk, simply sunk into it. It took Miranda a moment to get over the shock. She went up to it and slowly pushed one foot up to it, which went right through. She didn't even feel anything weird. Then, like her dad, Miranda closed her eyes and walked right through.

When she opened her eyes, she was in a different place. There was a train blowing its horn with _Hogwarts Express_ printed on the front in gold letters, and on the wall were the numbers 9 ¾. There were people walking next to the train, but not as many as there were at the other platforms. Miranda's dad was standing beside her, looking almost longingly at the train.

"You wish you could come too, don't you?" Miranda asked. Her dad jumped.

"Oh, yes," he said, "I'd love that."

"Well I'll send you loads of owls if I can, don't worry."

Her dad smiled. "Thanks, sweetie."

The train blew its horn again, signaling everybody to start boarding. Miranda and her dad made their way to it, and he lifted her trunk onto it.

"Well, I think it's time," he said. "Please be careful, won't you? Don't let anyone bully you, stand up to them. And pay attention in class, and takes notes and do your homework, okay? Try to make some friends, too, the year will be lonely without anybody to talk to. You have your money?"

"Yep."

"Good, okay, you have Crookshanks?"

"Dad, he's right here."

"Okay." He kissed her on the head. "Be safe, I love you."

"Love you too, Dad."

Holding Crookshanks in one arm and half-holding-half-pushing her trunk with the other, Miranda entered the train. She made her way through the narrow hall, searching for Hazel and hoping nobody else would be with them. Her wishes were not met, however, as when she finally spotted her through the window in one of the middle compartments, she was talking with somebody, a boy. He opened the door for her when he heard her knocking.

"Uh, hi," she said, feeling awkward. "Do you mind if I come in?"

"Miranda!" exclaimed Hazel excitedly. "Hey, how are you? Come in! I was worried you weren't coming for a minute."

"You know each other?" asked the boy as he helped Miranda stow her trunk.

"Yeah, we met a little while ago in Diagon Alley," Hazel said. "Anyway, this is Miranda. Miranda, this is Harry, He's a friend of my family. Hey, is that your cat? What's its name?"

"His name's Crookshanks," Miranda said as she sat down. Crookshanks suddenly perked up but didn't seem to want to move from Miranda's arms.

"Oh, like Hermione Granger's cat, I like that," said Hazel, stroking his fur. "I'm talking a lot, I know, I'm just really excited."

"Yeah, me too."

Finally, the train started moving. Hazel opened the outside window and waved goodbye, presumably to her dad, and Miranda did the same as they went by, until they turned a corner and left the station. They were on their way to Hogwarts!

"Hey Miranda, do you have any idea what house you'll be in?" Harry asked her. She frowned and looked at Hazel questionably, whom Miranda had begun to rely on to explain things to her about the Wizarding World.

"It's where you stay at during your years at Hogwarts," Hazel said. "You have classes with people in your house, share a common room with them, everything. Each house stands for different personality traits, too. Ravenclaw for wisdom and knowledge, Slytherin for ambition, Hufflepuff for loyalty and kindness and hard work, and Gryffindor for courage and bravery."

"Um…" Miranda murmured, "I guess the raven one sounds cool, I'll probably choose that one."

"Well uh..." Harry interjected, "You don't exactly 'choose' your Hogwarts house. It's… an interesting process..."

"It isn't bad," Hazel said quickly, noticing Miranda's expression. "It's kinda exciting, actually. There's even a little ceremony for it, which is tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yep. There's nothing to be worried about, though. my brother told me about it, he's a Ravenclaw."

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah, Andrew. He moved out a few years ago to live with his girlfriend in France."

Miranda wasn't sure how to respond, but Harry saved her the trouble. "I'm in Gryffindor. How fitting, given my name and all. I was born almost exactly three years after Harry Potter, too, July thirtieth. My parents named me after him since they were big fans of the of the Boy who Lived."

"Gryffindor, which one's that again?" Miranda asked awkwardly.

"Courage and bravery."

"Yep." Hazel pushed her hair out of her face. "I hope I'm in Ravenclaw. Everyone in my family was, and they're very proud of it. If I'm not one, too, they'll probably disown me." Miranda wasn't sure if she was joking or not but decided not to ask.

"So uh… how do they sort–"

She was interrupted by a knock on the door. Hazel got up and opened it to find a woman pushing a snack cart, asking if any of the three would like to buy anything. Miranda wasn't hungry, she was too excited to eat, but Hazel took out a bag of Sickels. She returned to her seat with an armful of things Miranda had never seen.

"Feel free to take whatever you like," Hazel said to her, "I bought enough for all of us."

She set down a collection of strange sweets. Miranda picked up one out of curiosity and was told by Hazel that it was called a chocolate frog. She opened it to find that it was actually alive, which was an awful surprise. She watched in shock as the frog-shaped piece of chocolate hopped from the wrapper to floor to the glass window as Crookshanks tried to catch it. This didn't exactly give Miranda an appetite.

The three of them chatted for the remainder or the train ride, mostly about something called Quidditch after Miranda mentioned the broom shop she saw in Diagon Alley. By the time Harry left, so they could all change into their robes, Miranda knew just about everything there was to learn about the sport. The idea of a game played on flying broomsticks and with flying quaffles and snitches intrigued her, and she couldn't wait to be able to try it out herself.

Once they finally arrived and left the train, it was getting dark. They exited onto a small platform with a lamp above them, and Miranda heard an unfamiliar voice:

"Firs' years, 'ey, firs' years! Over 'ere, firs' years!"

Miranda looked around for the sound of the voice, and then she saw him. A giant man, heavily bearded, much bigger than anybody she'd ever seen. The only part of his face visible was his eyes.

"C'mon, follow me, mind yer step. Any more firs' years?"

"Who's he?" Miranda asked shakily

"That's probably Rubeus Hagrid," she said. "Nobody to be scared of, I'm told he's really nice."

They followed him down a narrow, steep path. The trees made it too dark to see exactly where they were.

"Round this corner yeh'll get a look at Hogwarts," the man named Rubeus called back to everybody after they'd been walking for a bit.

Miranda gasped with a few others. The trail had turned into an opening, where a big lake lay in front of them. There were mountains in the distance, with a beautiful castle with multiple towers. She realized her mouth was open, and quickly shut it.

"Everyone in a boat, no more'n four te each!" Hagrid gestured toward a group of small boats in the water. Miranda and Hazel shared one with two others she didn't know, a somewhat scrawny-looking girl with waist-length brown hair and a thin face, and an anxious-looking kid with a gray beanie covering their hair.

Rubeus glanced around to check that everyone was in a boat, and yelled, "Right, FORWARD!"

The boats started moving on their own - Miranda held Crookshanks a bit closer to her so he wouldn't fall out, but there was no need. The boats traveled smoothly and silently along the dark lake. Not many people were talking, they were all were staring mesmerized at the castle they were heading towards. Eventually, they ducked under vines and went into a dark tunnel under the school, and reached an underground dock.

"Out of the boats, now, is everyone still here?" Hagrid looked around hastily, then proceeded to lead them through another passageway until they reached grass on the surface, right in front of the magnificent castle. Miranda had never seen a building so big in her life. Rubeus looked around again to make sure nobody was missing and knocked on the giant wooden door.


	3. Hogwarts Castle

The days following Miranda's visit to Diagon Alley passed slowly. She spent most of her time with her dad and sister talking and playing cards, the rest being spent alone with her collection of stuffed animals in her room. Miranda had re-read her acceptance letter so many times – partly out of interest, partly out of boredom – that she had memorized it. The first of September couldn't come soon enough. Despite the time seeming to take an eternity, Miranda woke one morning to realize that it was August thirty-first, just one day until she went to Hogwarts! She went downstairs at an hour before noon, knowing full well that Abigail would likely still be in her room, asleep.

"Dad," she asked, "Are you sure there's nothing else about Hogwarts that you know and could tell me?"

"Getting a bit nervous, I reckon?" Her dad laughed. "Not to worry, everything will be fine, there isn't anything else I know, though, but I've heard great things about the school. Mr. Harry Potter went there, didn't he, and look at him, defeating the darkest wizard of all time."

"Yeah, alright."

"Now that I think of it," her dad said, "Now would be a good time to get your trunk packed. You have everything you need, right? That Hazel girl knew where everything was?"

"Yep, she was a big help, and I'm already packed."

That day was the slowest one yet. Miranda was convinced her dad somehow slowed down the clocks just to play with her, and by the time she went to bed she felt like the day had lasted a week. Thoughts rushed through her head as she tried to fall asleep, daydreaming (or was it nightdreaming?) about her first day at Hogwarts. What would the school be like? Would it be fun and enjoyable, or more like public school, tiring and boring? What kinds of magic would she learn? How many incantations would she have to memorize? Miranda thought she'd be laying in bed for hours, but before she knew it, her alarm clock was beeping next to her.

The morning, unlike the days before, was a bit of a rush. She seemed to get dressed and eat in an instant, and in a blink of an eye they were about to walk out the front door.

"Dad," she asked, "The letter said I could bring a pet. Would it be alright if Crookshanks came with me?"

He thought about it. "I don't see why not," he said finally. "And don't forget his litter box!" he called as she ran off to get the kitten.

Five minutes later and they were in the car. Crookshanks had decided to get some more sleep on Miranda's lap, and she was careful not to disturb him. She was tired, too, but was too excited to take a nap. She realized she'd never been excited to start school before, it was usually something she dreaded.

At last, they reached King's Cross Station. Miranda cradled Crookshanks in her arms and followed her dad, who was pushing the dolly with her trunk, into the building.

"What was the platform number again?" asked her dad as they walked. Miranda looked at the ticket. "Nine and three-quarters. The train leaves at eleven."

They made their pass the stations. Six, seven, eight, nine and… ten. Where was Platform nine and three quarters? She looked at her dad with tight lips. "Where do we go?"

"Stay here with the trunk, I'll go ask somebody. If anyone looks at you threateningly, bash it into their legs. "I hope you're joking," she mumbled.

Several people glanced at her strangely as they walked pass, but some gave little smiles when they saw Crookshanks in Miranda's arms. One little boy even walked up and wanted to pet him, but his mother pulled him away. A few more minutes passed, and her dad returned.

"Did you find out?" asked Miranda.

"Yep. You see that wall separating platforms nine and ten? We just have to walk straight into it."

Miranda laughed.

"No, really," said her dad.

"You can't be serious."

"I'm completely serious."

"Fine then, but you have to go first."

"Okay."

They walked up to the wall, which was multiple times wider than the dolly, but looked just like all the others.

"Come right after me, okay?" Miranda's dad asked. He took the dolly, lined it up so it was facing the wall, and walked like he was taking a leisurely stroll. Miranda thought he would stop right before the wall and tell her the actual way to the platform – through a side door or something – but no. He walked straight into, no, straight _through_ the wall, as if it wasn't even there, as if he, the dolly, and the trunk, simply sunk into it. It took Miranda a moment to get over the shock. She went up to it and slowly pushed one foot up to it, which went right through. She didn't even feel anything weird. Then, like her dad, Miranda closed her eyes and walked right through.

When she opened her eyes, she was in a different place. There was a train blowing its horn with _Hogwarts Express_ printed on the front in gold letters, and on the wall were the numbers 9 ¾. There were people walking next to the train, but not as many as there were at the other platforms. Miranda's dad was standing beside her, looking almost longingly at the train.

"You wish you could come too, don't you?" Miranda asked. Her dad jumped.

"Oh, yes," he said, "I'd love that."

"Well I'll send you loads of owls if I can, don't worry."

Her dad smiled. "Thanks, sweetie."

The train blew its horn again, signaling everybody to start boarding. Miranda and her dad made their way to it, and he lifted her trunk onto it.

"Well, I think it's time," he said. "Please be careful, won't you? Don't let anyone bully you, stand up to them. And pay attention in class, and takes notes and do your homework, okay? Try to make some friends, too, the year will be lonely without anybody to talk to. You have your money?"

"Yep."

"Good, okay, you have Crookshanks?"

"Dad, he's right here."

"Okay." He kissed her on the head. "Be safe, I love you."

"Love you too, Dad."

Holding Crookshanks in one arm and half-holding-half-pushing her trunk with the other, Miranda entered the train. She made her way through the narrow hall, searching for Hazel and hoping nobody else would be with them. Her wishes were not met, however, as when she finally spotted her through the window in one of the middle compartments, she was talking with somebody, a boy. He opened the door for her when he heard her knocking.

"Uh, hi," she said, feeling awkward. "Do you mind if I come in?"

"Miranda!" exclaimed Hazel excitedly. "Hey, how are you? Come in! I was worried you weren't coming for a minute."

"You know each other?" asked the boy as he helped Miranda stow her trunk.

"Yeah, we met a little while ago in Diagon Alley," Hazel said. "Anyway, this is Miranda. Miranda, this is Harry, He's a friend of my family. Hey, is that your cat? What's its name?"

"His name's Crookshanks," Miranda said as she sat down. Crookshanks suddenly perked up but didn't seem to want to move from Miranda's arms.

"Oh, like Hermione Granger's cat, I like that," said Hazel, stroking his fur. "I'm talking a lot, I know, I'm just really excited."

"Yeah, me too."

Finally, the train started moving. Hazel opened the outside window and waved goodbye, presumably to her dad, and Miranda did the same as they went by, until they turned a corner and left the station. They were on their way to Hogwarts!

"Hey Miranda, do you have any idea what house you'll be in?" Harry asked her. She frowned and looked at Hazel questionably, whom Miranda had begun to rely on to explain things to her about the Wizarding World.

"It's where you stay at during your years at Hogwarts," Hazel said. "You have classes with people in your house, share a common room with them, everything. Each house stands for different personality traits, too. Ravenclaw for wisdom and knowledge, Slytherin for ambition, Hufflepuff for loyalty and kindness and hard work, and Gryffindor for courage and bravery."

"Um…" Miranda murmured, "I guess the raven one sounds cool, I'll probably choose that one."

"Well uh..." Harry interjected, "You don't exactly 'choose' your Hogwarts house. It's… an interesting process..."

"It isn't bad," Hazel said quickly, noticing Miranda's expression. "It's kinda exciting, actually. There's even a little ceremony for it, which is tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yep. There's nothing to be worried about, though. my brother told me about it, he's a Ravenclaw."

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah, Andrew. He moved out a few years ago to live with his girlfriend in France."

Miranda wasn't sure how to respond, but Harry saved her the trouble. "I'm in Gryffindor. How fitting, given my name and all. I was born almost exactly three years after Harry Potter, too, July thirtieth. My parents named me after him since they were big fans of the of the Boy who Lived."

"Gryffindor, which one's that again?" Miranda asked awkwardly.

"Courage and bravery."

"Yep." Hazel pushed her hair out of her face. "I hope I'm in Ravenclaw. Everyone in my family was, and they're very proud of it. If I'm not one, too, they'll probably disown me." Miranda wasn't sure if she was joking or not but decided not to ask.

"So uh… how do they sort–"

She was interrupted by a knock on the door. Hazel got up and opened it to find a woman pushing a snack cart, asking if any of the three would like to buy anything. Miranda wasn't hungry, she was too excited to eat, but Hazel took out a bag of Sickels. She returned to her seat with an armful of things Miranda had never seen.

"Feel free to take whatever you like," Hazel said to her, "I bought enough for all of us."

She set down a collection of strange sweets. Miranda picked up one out of curiosity and was told by Hazel that it was called a chocolate frog. She opened it to find that it was actually alive, which was an awful surprise. She watched in shock as the frog-shaped piece of chocolate hopped from the wrapper to floor to the glass window as Crookshanks tried to catch it. This didn't exactly give Miranda an appetite.

The three of them chatted for the remainder or the train ride, mostly about something called Quidditch after Miranda mentioned the broom shop she saw in Diagon Alley. By the time Harry left, so they could all change into their robes, Miranda knew just about everything there was to learn about the sport. The idea of a game played on flying broomsticks and with flying quaffles and snitches intrigued her, and she couldn't wait to be able to try it out herself.

Once they finally arrived and left the train, it was getting dark. They exited onto a small platform with a lamp above them, and Miranda heard an unfamiliar voice:

"Firs' years, 'ey, firs' years! Over 'ere, firs' years!"

Miranda looked around for the sound of the voice, and then she saw him. A giant man, heavily bearded, much bigger than anybody she'd ever seen. The only part of his face visible was his eyes.

"C'mon, follow me, mind yer step. Any more firs' years?"

"Who's he?" Miranda asked shakily

"That's probably Rubeus Hagrid," she said. "Nobody to be scared of, I'm told he's really nice."

They followed him down a narrow, steep path. The trees made it too dark to see exactly where they were.

"Round this corner yeh'll get a look at Hogwarts," the man named Rubeus called back to everybody after they'd been walking for a bit.

Miranda gasped with a few others. The trail had turned into an opening, where a big lake lay in front of them. There were mountains in the distance, with a beautiful castle with multiple towers. She realized her mouth was open, and quickly shut it.

"Everyone in a boat, no more'n four te each!" Hagrid gestured toward a group of small boats in the water. Miranda and Hazel shared one with two others she didn't know, a somewhat scrawny-looking girl with waist-length brown hair and a thin face, and an anxious-looking kid with a gray beanie covering their hair.

Rubeus glanced around to check that everyone was in a boat, and yelled, "Right, FORWARD!"

The boats started moving on their own - Miranda held Crookshanks a bit closer to her so he wouldn't fall out, but there was no need. The boats traveled smoothly and silently along the dark lake. Not many people were talking, they were all were staring mesmerized at the castle they were heading towards. Eventually, they ducked under vines and went into a dark tunnel under the school, and reached an underground dock.

"Out of the boats, now, is everyone still here?" Hagrid looked around hastily, then proceeded to lead them through another passageway until they reached grass on the surface, right in front of the magnificent castle. Miranda had never seen a building so big in her life. Rubeus looked around again to make sure nobody was missing and knocked on the giant wooden door.


	4. New World

**Sorry this chapter took so long, I didn't have i** **nternet for a while, but I have a few chapters written and they just need some last-minute editing so expect more soon!**

 **\- Aerma**

* * *

The doors opened to reveal a tall woman with a pointed hat, glasses, and tense face. "Ah, the first years, thank you Hagrid," she said, "now, follow me!"

The black-haired witch led them through a massive hallway that Miranda could imagine her dad designing. The witch then led them into a not so massive room, where they were all a bit cramped. She stood in front of them all with a rather fixed-looking smile.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said, "My name is Professor McGonagall. As always, the start-of-term banquet will start soon, right after you all are sorted into your Hogwarts houses. This is a very important ceremony, as you will be living with, eating with, and taking classes with members of your assigned house. They will be somewhat of a family during your years here."

Miranda could hear hundreds of voices from the other side of the door and started breathing a bit quicker. Professor McGonagall continued.

"All of the four houses, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw, have produced countless great and noble witches and wizards, and all have a fantastic history that you will be learning about in your History of Magic class."

"Your triumphs will earn House points for you, while rule-breaking and bad behavior will lose them. The house with the most points at the end of term is given the House Cup, which I expect you will all strive to achieve. In a few minutes, we will start the ceremony, take the time to mentally prepare yourself. Please wait quietly, I'll be back in a few minutes."

The sorting sounded like some sort of test; and on their first day? That didn't sound very fair, they should at least wait until they've learned a thing or two. Some of these people probably already knew loads of magic. What if they sent a dragon or something at her? Her school book _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ probably talked all about dragon defense, but she hadn't read it all the way through yet.

Nobody was speaking, everyone seemed to be having their own thoughts about the sorting.

 _What's the worst that could happen?_ Miranda thought.

 _Well, they could kick me out. Or I could be seriously injured, or both._

The sharp voice of Professor McGonagall made her flinch. "The Sorting Ceremony is starting soon. Follow me in a single file line."

They followed her out of the chamber and into the hallway again. Miranda struggled not to drop Crookshanks, who had begun squirming around.

They reached a pair of doors, which Professor McGonagall opened.

The Great Hall was like nothing Miranda had ever seen. Four main tables filled with students sat next to each other, with hundreds of candles floating above. At the back of the hall was a fifth table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall seemed to be leading them there. This was _definitely_ a place her dad would enjoy drawing up the blueprints for.

Miranda spotted four translucent figures throughout the hall, which she realized with a jolt were ghosts. Just what she needed: her new school to be haunted. Wanting to avoid the hundreds of faces staring at them, she looked up to see that there was no ceiling at all.

 _That can't be right, what if it rains?_

Professor McGonagall set down a stool in front of the first years, then put a pointed wizard's hat on it. It was dirty, a bit torn, and very old-looking.

 _Maybe we have to fight each other to get the hat or something,_ Miranda thought.

The hat then moved little on it's own. A mouth appeared on it, and it began to sing:

" _I may be dirty and gross,_

 _But don't let that fool you!_

 _I'm intelligent and I know best,_

 _I just may not be brand new._

 _You may have better hats with you,_

 _Ones that look more pretty,_

 _But they can't talk or think, can they?_

 _And they sure can't sing like me!_

 _I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat,_

 _And in your minds, I see,_

 _When you put me on your head,_

 _I'll tell you where you'll be!_

 _You could go to brave Gryffindor,_

 _Where lie the courageous and brave._

 _They'll take all risks to do the right thing,_

 _Chivalry and nerve, have they._

 _Ravenclaw's for the smart,_

 _For the intelligent, like me,_

 _They do well in school and read their books,_

 _For them, wisdom's the key._

 _If you're ambitious, bold and cunning,_

 _Then Slytherin's for you,_

 _They'll do anything to reach their goals_

 _They're fearless and valiant, too._

 _In Hufflepuff, they are loyal,_

 _Hard-working and kind at heart,_

 _Empathy, sympathy, and abundant patience_

 _Sets those devoted Hufflepuffs apart._

 _So go ahead and put me on,_

 _I'll guide you to your home,_

 _For no journey is ever possible_

 _If you're traveling alone."_

The hat bowed to the four tables as everybody applauded. Apparently, this was a tradition for Hogwarts; Miranda wondered what other unique things they did like this.

She sighed out of relief. There would be no dragon-battling, at least not today. They just had to put on the hat, which seemed easy enough.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward again, holding out a scroll.

"Please step forward when I call your name," she said, "then sit on the stool and put on the Sorting Hat. Allison, Ra- I mean, Taylor!"

The one with the gray beanie (Miranda still could decide whether they were a boy or girl) stepped up. They took off the beanie and placed the sorting hat on their head, which fell down to cover their eyes.

"HUFFLEPUFF," the hat shouted to the Great Hall after a few moments. Taylor took it off and stumbled to sit down at the second table from the left.

"Barnell, Holly!"

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shrieked after a longer pause than Taylor. The Gryffindor tabled clapped as Holly went to the far left table

A few other people went, then it was Hazel's turn. She sat on the stool and put on the hat like the others. It took about six or seven silent minutes for the hat to finally yell, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Hazel slowly set the hat down and, with a completely shocked expression, went over to sit down next to Taylor.

About half of them were left when Professor McGonagall called, "Manning, Miranda!"

It was her turn. Miranda stepped out of line and walked forward.

"I'll hold your cat for you, I happen to be very good with them," whispered Professor McGonagall. Miranda gave Crookshanks (who was still squirming around) to her and sat on the stool. She placed the hat on her head, which slid down over her eyes, and tried to relax. But it had barely been there for a second when the hat screamed, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Smiling widely due to being put with Hazel, she set the hat back down and went to sit next to her.

"Are you alright?" Miranda asked, seeing Hazel's expression

"Yeah, I'm just… a bit–"

"SLYTHERIN," the Sorting Hat interrupted, and claps erupted from two tables away.

"–a bit tired, that's all," Hazel finished. This didn't seem like a matter to look as distressed as she did over, but Miranda decided not to press it.

The line of first years thinned, and soon everyone had been sorted into their houses. Finally, Emily Zenina, whom Miranda recognized as the long-haired girl they were with on the boats, was sorted into Gryffindor. Professor McGonagall took the scroll and Sorting Hat out of the room, and a few minutes passed before she reentered. She stood up in front of the teachers' table and everyone in the Great Hall turned silent.

"I welcome all of you to a brand new year at Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said. "There are things that must be discussed regarding last year's events, but we'll save that for after the start-of-term banquet. Please enjoy."

She sat down. Miranda looked back at the table, which was now loaded with food. There was everything she could imagine eating for dinner: hamburgers, steak, chicken, salad, potatoes, assorted vegetables, and things she didn't even recognize. She filled her plate and dug in. After tasting the first bite, she finished in about ten seconds.

While she was getting a second helping of a type of exotic fruit, one of the ghosts drifted by on the opposite side of the table. Miranda nearly dropped her plate.

"Uh… who is that?" she asked.

"That must be the Fat Friar," a girl she recognized as Astrid Sariea from the ceremony said, "Hufflepuff's ghost. All the houses have one."

"Why do you call him that?" Miranda asked.

"Everybody does," said Astrid, setting down a fork. "All the ghosts here have nicknames. There's the Fat Friar, the Bloody Baron, the Grey Lady, and Nearly Headless Nick."

"So Hogwarts is haunted?"

Astrid frowned. "Not really, it's more like they _inhabit_ it rather than _haunt_ it."

"They won't hurt you, though," said Astrid, seeing Miranda's face. "The History of Magic teacher's a ghost, and I'm told he's just about the most boring person ali- well, dead, I guess."

Miranda looked back at the Fat Friar, who was now having a friendly chat with one of the older students.

Before long, everybody was finished. Miranda expected Professor McGonagall to get up and talk again, but the plates disappeared and desserts were now stacked up high on the table. There was everything from pudding to pie and treacle tart to Jell-O. Miranda was stuffed, but she scooped herself some ice cream. She looked at Hazel, who wasn't saying a thing. Miranda didn't think she'd eaten anything all throughout the feast.

Ten minutes later, and Professor McGonagall stood up again from her chair.

"Now that we've all eaten," she said as the plates and desserts disappeared from the table, "we have matters to discuss." She started pacing. "As most of you probably know, a certain dark wizard named Tom Riddle, more commonly referred to as, well, Lord Voldemort–" She coughed loudly to silence the frantic whispering. "–was finally defeated by a former Hogwarts student named Harry Potter, whom I'm sure every person in this room has heard of."

Whispering broke out throughout the Great Hall, and Professor McGonagall had to cough again. "Now, I want to make sure that none of this interferes with the learning at Hogwarts this year. I want you all to treat this term as you would any other." She had an unpleasant look on her face as she said the last part, and stopped pacing. "On a more happy note, I am pleased to announce that as a celebration of the defeat of Voldemort, we are going to be having a school dance near the end of the term."

Again, whispers erupted throughout the room, and Miranda's stomach lurched. A dance? She didn't know how to dance. Would they have to have partners? She imagined having a boy ask her to go with her and, more unsettling, having to ask one herself.

"Settle down now…" Professor McGonagall hushed. "As I was saying, there will be a school dance this year, on the twenty-sixth of December. More details will be provided when it nears.."

There was muttering throughout the Hall.

"I would also like to announce," she continued, "our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Caterina Crestin." A witch, maybe in her mid-thirties, stood up smiling. She had short hair that was a faded shade of purple, a long nose, and slight dimples. She gave a quick wave, then sat down.

"Our caretaker, Mr. Filch, asked me to remind you that magic is not to be performed in the corridors mid-class. Dates for Quidditch tryouts will be posted on your house notice boards, and first years should note that the forest is forbidden to all students unless explicitly stated otherwise. At this point, I ask all the house prefects to lead the first years to their house dormitories."

Everybody started getting up. Miranda directed her attention to a boy and girl at the Hufflepuff table, who were rounding up all the first years. She, Hazel, Taylor, Astrid, and Astrid's sister Danny headed towards the prefects along with five first-year boys.

"Everyone here?" asked one prefect. "Okay, good. My name is Vincent Fleiphn, and this is Teresa DeRoma. We'll be your house prefects for this year, meaning we have to be responsible, tell you off for breaking rules, that sort of thing."

"Now, it's been a long day," Teresa said, pushing aside her blonde hair, "so let's get going. Our dormitories aren't too far from here, they're right by the kitchens."

Miranda and the rest of them formed a line behind Teresa and Vincent and followed them into the Entrance Hall. On the right wall were two doors about twenty feet apart, and at the end opposite end was a corridor heading right. The oak front doors were to their left, which looked nice with the stone walls. They took the first right and filed down a hallway lined with torches until they reached a collection of paintings and a big pile of barrels.

"Getting into our common room isn't too difficult," said Vincent, "All you have to do is tap the middle barrel in the second row up with your wand to the rhythm of the syllables in 'Helga Hufflepuff'. Make sure you tap the correct barrel and that you do it correctly, or you'll be drenched in vinegar. And trust me, it isn't a pleasant experience." He took out his wand from his robe pocket and tapped the barrel he indicated.

The barrel's lid vanished, and they all crawled through. On the other side was a small, earthy passageway sloped upwards, and they had to crouch down as to not hit their heads. They made their way up the path until it opened up to round, low-ceiling room. It was decorated in the Hufflepuff colors, yellow and black, and there were various plants on round shelves including cacti and sunflowers. There were even a few ivies dangling from copper pots on the ceiling, the longest one being played with by Crookshanks beside an armchair. Above a fireplace on the opposite side of the room hung a large portrait of a woman who was holding a small golden cup.

Teresa and Vincent directed them toward two round doors that lead to the boys' and girls' dormitories, but Miranda noticed that Taylor was standing quite still after everybody else had left the room.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Um, I think I may j-just sleep here tonight…" Taylor stuttered.

"What? Why?"

"Uh…" Taylor looked around, making sure nobody was eavesdropping. "I uh, I don't… really think– I belong… in... either of those dormitories…"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm um… not really sure how to explain… hey, could I ask you a favor? Could you not tell anybody about this?"

"Sure," Miranda promised., "Definitely. I won't."

"Thanks," Taylor said, "I uh, don't know what the others might say…"

Miranda turned to leave, but Taylor walked with her. "I should probably get my trunk," they said. "It's um… in your dormitory..."

Behind the round doors were a set of stairs. Miranda went first, but as Taylor followed, the entire staircase turned into a slope, causing both to tumble back down to the bottom. Miranda was wide-eyed and breathing quickly, but Taylor was smiling wide, looking ecstatic.

"What're you so happy about?" Miranda asked, "That nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Oh, it's nothing." But Taylor nearly skipped back to the couch on one side of the common room, and Miranda was left speechless.


	5. Professor Crestin

The next morning, Miranda woke up earlier than everyone else. She got dressed and headed for the notice board in the common room to see what classes they had that day. The round windows, which were at surface level behind the outside garden, showed that it was still dark out. She noticed that curtains were now hiding the couch that Taylor was sleeping on, and that a trunk was poking out from underneath it.

Miranda checked the board: that day, the first years had Transfiguration followed by Charms, Herbology, History of Magic, and Defence Against the Dark Arts, and each of the lessons lasted one hour. All of those subjects sounded much more interesting the standard ones she took back in primary school.

Since it was still early in the morning and nobody else was awake, she headed back to the girls' dormitory and opened up one of her schoolbooks at random: _One-Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi._

Danny got up next, and wasn't surprised to see Miranda already awake and dressed.

"I wouldn't be able to sleep on my first day if I were muggleborn either," she said drowsily. "I mean, I'd be way too excited to sleep if magic was new to me. My mum's a witch, though, she told me all about Hogwarts."

"Do you already know any magic, then?" asked Miranda interestedly.

"Well, my mum tried to teach me a levitation charm once with a pencil, but I accidentally sent it flying at her and she got a nasty cut. She wasn't exactly enthusiastic about teaching me after that. My sister, though-" she gestured at Astrid, who was still asleep. "Got it on her first try. We're fraternal twins, but she seemed to inherit the magic gene more than me."

"If neither of my parents are wizards," said Miranda, "How am I a witch? I don't recall ever doing magic."

"The gene sometimes comes up randomly, I think. Maybe one of your ancestors had it."

Before long, Hazel and Astrid were both awake and dressed. They headed downstairs as a group, to find Taylor and one of the boys, Leo Quinson, having an intense debate about Quidditch teams. They were interrupted, however, by a bell signaling that the time was 7:30.

"Better get down to breakfast," Leo said. "But I still think the Harpies are a better team."

They left the common room and went to the Great Hall, where about half the school was already eating. The group of them joined in, and talked eagerly about the upcoming lessons.

"I'm most excited about Transfiguration," said Astrid. "It's supposed to be really difficult, but it just sounds really amazing."

"What about Defence Against the Dark Arts, though?" asked Leo. "I've heard it's a really important subject. Fun, too."

"Yeah, I wonder how Professor Crestin is… What about you, Hazel?" asked Danny.

"Um, Charms seems like fun," Hazel replied, "My dad says Professor Flitwick's a good teacher."

When the others got up and left for the Transfiguration classroom, Miranda hung back with Hazel.

"Is everything alright?" Miranda asked. "You've barely talked all day."

Hazel mumbled something about not getting enough sleep.

"Is this about your family? I'm sure it'll be okay, they must've been exaggerating."

Hazel finally looked up from her plate. "You don't get it," she said, "My parents raised constantly talked about how good Ravenclaw's supposed to be. To be completely honest, I'm scared. What if they kick me out? I have nowhere to go."

"Of course they won't disown you," Miranda assured, noticing more people getting up. "Really, I doubt they'll care that much. But if it ever does comes to that, my dad probably wouldn't mind you living with us."

The Great Hall was almost empty, and Miranda was starting to get a bit anxious. "There's no use worrying, though, let's just see what happens, alright?"

"Thanks, Miranda, you're really kind…" Hazel looked around and seemed to re-enter reality.

"Come on, we'll be late!"

They left the room at a run, Miranda behind Hazel. By the the time they reached the classroom, Professor McGonagall was just about to close the door.

"You cut it a bit close," she scolded, "but it doesn't matter, sit down."

She walked to the front of the room and took out her wand.

"Welcome to Transfiguration." Professor McGonagall pointed her wand at her desk, muttered an incantation, and in an instant the wooden table transformed into a small horse. She gave her wand another wave, and it turned back into a desk. A few people clapped, including Miranda.

"Transfiguration is a very difficult subject, so I expect you all to do your best in this class and not to mess around. I will not tolerate anybody who does not take my class seriously." She took out a handful of matches from her drawer and handed them out.

"You have one hour to try and turn these into needles," she said, as the incarnation appeared on the blackboard.

Everybody pointed their wands and said the spell, but by the end of the lesson, only Jeremy Neawing was successful. Miranda's match developed a silver tint and was a bit less blunt, but Professor McGonagall didn't count it.

"For your homework," she said as they were all packing away their things, "continue practicing with your matches, and please do your best _not_ to burn anything."

The next class was Charms, which was led by a very short, kind man: Professor Flitwick.

"Welcome, welcome!" He stepped down from a pile of books behind his desk. "You're all in Hufflepuff, correct?"

There was a murmur of confirmation.

"Good, good…" He fumbled for a list of names, and scanned it quickly. "Everybody's here, perfect! Welcome to Charms class. Charms are a type of magic that involves adding certain properties to objects or creatures. If you ever have trouble distinguishing Charms from Transfiguration, just remember that Charms focus on what an object _does_ rather than what it _is._

He pointed his wand toward one of the open windows, and said " _Avis!_ " A flock of birds flew from the tip of his wand and out the window , accompanied by a gunshot sound and smoke.

They were all eager to try it out, but were disappointed when Professor Flitwick told them they wouldn't be learning that particular spell until their second year. Instead, they spent the class working on the _Engorgio_ charm in groups of three.

Miranda and Hazel worked with Astrid, and were the only two that ended the class with pens the size of their arms.

They were even exempt from Charms homework that day because they didn't have to practice the growing charm.

"Ooh, fantastic!" Professor Flitwick literally jumped with joy when they were both able to shrink the pens back to their regular size with the _Diminuendo_ spell. "Five points to Hufflepuff!"

After Charms, they had a half-hour break that Miranda spent talking with Hazel in the common room while getting a head start on their Transfiguration homework.

"What's that on your wrist?" Hazel asked. Miranda looked down at the rainbow-beaded bracelet she was wearing.

"Oh, I got this a few years ago," she said. "My dad made it for me."

"I like it, it's nice," said Hazel, "Does he make other things, too?

"Not really, he's usually busy with work as an architect."

"An architect," Hazel said approvingly, "so he draws blueprints and things?"

"Yeah. He stays up late at night to work on designs, he loves it."

" I'm really into drawing too," said Hazel, "but I've never made blueprints or anything like that."

"I've never been too good with it myself," said Miranda, "But I'd love to see what sort of things you've done, if that's alright with you. Are you good at it?"

"Well my dad thinks so. I mean, I've been drawing it since I could hold a crayon. My gran thinks it's a waste of time, but I try not to listen to her."

Crookshanks jumped down from an armchair and climbed onto Hazel's lap, who stroked his fur lovingly.

"What types of things do you draw?" asked Miranda interestedly.

"Mostly portraits," said Hazel, "I usually stick to just sketches."

"Is anybody else in your family an artist?"

"Well I don't know if I would call myself an artist, but my mom used to be really into it, before she was a parent."

Miranda noticed feet outside of the windows, walking along the path next to the garden.

Hazel continued. "Then she was too busy to do much drawing. She was incredible though, it took a while for my dad to convince me that her sketches weren't actually portraits."

"Why doesn't she get back into it?" asked Miranda.

"Well–" Hazel got choked up, and took a shaky breath. "Last year, she… she was bitten by a werewolf, Fenrir Greyback. She seemed to be getting better after a few days, but then she…" Hazel looked away and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"I'm really sorry," said Miranda, not knowing what else to say. "Were you... very close?"

Hazel nodded.

"I never knew my mother," Miranda confessed, "she's been in prison for years."

The bell rung, signaling that their break was over. Miranda and Hazel got up sluggishly and walked to the greenhouse together, where their Herbology class was held.

They were greeted by Professor Sprout, who was the Hufflepuff head of house. They spent the hour learning about three species of mushrooms: Wifflesnip, Hintagri, and Grofflewoffle.

"Now, when a certain magical creature is acting rather aggressive," said Professor Sprout, "all three of these fungi can ward them off. Does anyone happen to know what creature this is?"

Miranda raised her hand. "Bowtruckles," she said, remembering what she had read that morning. "They hate the smell, especially cooked Hintagri."

"Very good, excellent!" Professor Sprout praised. "Five points to Hufflepuff!"

For Herbology homework that class, they simply had to find out what non-magical creature sprouted large tentacles out of its ears if it ate a Grofflewoffle mushroom.

Before their last two classes, they had lunch in the Great Hall. Neither Miranda nor Hazel mentioned their conversation during the break, but instead they listened to the others' discussion about the classes so far.

"My favorite so far is Transfiguration," said Astrid.

"I thought Herbology would be a bit boring, but it was actually the most fun for me," Danny disagreed.

"I'm still betting Defence Against the Dark Arts will be the best," Leo said through a mouthful of his sandwich.

"I'm excited to start Potions," said Miranda, then remembered something she heard earlier and added, "I heard somebody say there used to be a really terrible teacher for it, Professor Snip or something."

"Snape, yeah," agreed one of the fifth years, who was sitting by them. "I had him for two years. He was really bias towards the Slytherins and he was super strict. Really rude, too. The new teacher is much better, though: Professor Slughorn."

After lunch was History of Magic. Despite Professor Binns' continuous droning, Miranda found the subject of his lecture very enjoyable. It was really interesting how wizards over-bred dragons for their hide, and how goblins rebelled against them because the dragons were eating a large population of the goblins.

The others in the class didn't seem as fond of History of Magic: Hazel's eyes were unfocused and dreamlike, Danny was doodling in the corner of her otherwise blank parchment, and Jeremy Newing was actually asleep.

Their last class that day was Defence Against the Dark Arts. They all entered the classroom not quite room what to expect, and were greeted by a smiling Professor Crestin. Her short hair seemed to have been freshly dyed a vibrant shade of green.

"Good afternoon," she said as they all sat down.

"In this class, you'll be learning how to protect yourself from dark forces," she stated. "In the recent years, dark witches and wizards have been extremely prevalent, especially concerning last year's events." She was pacing around the front of the room. "Even though Voldemort is dead, it's still extremely important that you learn how to protect yourself. We'll be starting with a simple disarming charm. It may seem slightly useless, but this spell is the one that Harry Potter used to defeat Voldemort, so it's really anything but useless." She turned her attention to Taylor, who was hanging onto the professor's every word "What's your name?"

"Um, Taylor, Professor."

"Okay Taylor, hold out your wand, please."

They did so, and Professor Crestin took out her own.

" _Expelliarmus,"_ she said confidently. Taylor's wand was ripped away, flew threw the air, and was caught by Professor Crestin. She smiled at the class's stunned silence.

She showed them the specific wand movement required for the spell, and instructed them to divide into pairs to practice.

"With this spell, what you do with your wad is just as important as saying the incantation properly," she reminded them. "Remember, the flick of the wrist is very important!"

"Every successful disarm within the first half hour will receive two points for Hufflepuff," she said as everybody found a spot in the classroom. Miranda and Hazel took a corner, and removed their wands from their robe pockets.

"Do you want to go first?" Miranda asked.

"Okay... _Expelliarmus!"_

Miranda definitely felt her wand attempt an escape, but she kept a firm grip on it.

"Close," said Professor Crestin, who was walking by. "But your wand movement is a bit off. Make sure you flick your wrist in a _clockwise_ spiral motion, not counterclockwise."

Hazel tried again, this time Miranda's wand was wrenched from her grasp. Like Professor Crestin, Hazel's charm caused Miranda's wand to fly through the air toward her. She jumped up to catch it, but missed.

"Now you try," Hazel told Miranda.

Miranda took back her wand from her and pointed it.

 _The flick of the wrist is very important,_ she remembered Professor Crestin saying.

Miranda shouted, " _Expelliarmus!_ " and performed the wand motion that was described. Hazel's maple wood wand escaped her hand and spun through the air toward Miranda, who caught it.

"Very good, very good," said Professor Crestin, the sun shining through the window onto her hair.

It seemed like just a few minutes had passed when the bell rung again.

"Well then, that's it for today." The professor gave them another smile. "Since it's your first lesson, I'm not going to give you any homework, but please don't forget what you've learned. You never know when that charm will come in handy."

And with that, the Hufflepuffs left her classroom.

Dinner that night was full of energy, even more so than the morning. Everybody was discussing all the lessons they had and talking about the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"...much better than the others, except maybe Lupin." said a girl excitedly, "Did she show the third years bogarts like he did?"

"No," said a boy, around fourteen years of age, "She taught us how to produce a Patronus, but nobody was able to get it. Her's was an orca, though!"

"What's a Patronus?" Miranda asked.

"My mum told Danny and me about them," Astrid said from across the table, "It's a charm that scares away Dementors, but they're really difficult to create." She paused for a sip of water. "If done correctly, a creature of some sort is produced from your wand, varying from person to person."

After dinner, they all headed back into the Hufflepuff common room. While they were in their classes, the couch that Taylor had slept on the night before had been replaced by an actual bed, the same type that was in the dormitories.

Miranda had decided to refer to Taylor as simply "they" rather than "he" or "she" after their conversation the night before. It was at no cost to Miranda, and it obviously made Taylor very happy. She didn't really understand the whole not-belonging-to-either-of-the-dormitories thing, but she didn't want to push Taylor into explaining further. It was easier to just go along with it than to make a fuss.

There were so many things going through Miranda's head that she thought she'd never fall asleep, but she did so almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.


End file.
